The Louisiana and Texas Regular Predestinarian Baptist Association

One early East Texas association often mentioned in our histories is the Louisiana and Texas Regular Predestinarian Baptist Association. On December 25, 1844, Leroy G. McGaughey of Ballieu’s Ferry, Louisiana wrote the editors of The Primitive Baptist to report on the proceedings of a convention to organize this association, and included the Articles of Faith and Constitution of the Louisiana and Texas Regular Predestinarian Baptist Association.[i]

According to Z. N. Morrell, “In 1844, a convention was called by the regular Predestinarian Baptists of the East, which met with the Antioch church, in Jasper County, on the eighth day of November. Five churches were represented in this convention, viz.: – Antioch, Louisiana; and Salem, Antioch, Harmony and Mount Olive, Texas.”[ii] Alfred Lyons of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana wrote to The Primitive Baptist and described attending the convention.[iii] He said the meeting occurred on November 8th “at brother Richardson’s.”[iv] Probably the convention was called under the authority of Antioch Church. (According to their historical marker, the Antioch Church had a log meeting house beginning in 1842.)

To the best of my ability, I have reproduced the letter of Leroy McGaughey, below.

TO EDITORS PRIMITIVE BAPTIST.

Ballieu’s Ferry, La.

Dec. 15th, 1844.

Dear Brethren: By the following Resolutions of an Association recently organized in this vicinity, you will perceive by what authority I write.

            Resolved, that the Clerk transmit a copy of the Articles of Faith and Constitution of the Association, to Editors Primitive Baptist, for insertion in its columns.

—

Articles of Faith of the Louisiana and Texas Regular Predestinarian Baptist Association.

Article 1st. We believe, in the being of one only true and living God, the Father, Word, and Holy Ghost, and these three are one.

2nd. We believe, the scriptures of the Old and New Testament were given by inspiration of God, are of divine authority, and the rule of faith, and practice.

3rd. We believe, that man was created in the image, and after the likeness of God. But sinned and came short of his glory. And, in the total depravity of human nature, and man’s inability to reinstate himself.

4th. We believe that Jesus Christ was set up from everlasting as the Head of the church; which is his body.

5th. We believe in the everlasting love of God to his people; in the eternal and unconditional election of a definite number of the human family to grace and glory.

6th. We believe that sinners are only justified in the sight of God, by the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, which is unto all, and upon all them that believe.

7th. We believe all those who were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, are in time effectually called regenerated, converted, and sanctified, and are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

8th. We believe that there is one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus; who by the satisfaction which he made to law and justice, in becoming an offering for sin, hath by his most precious blood, redeemed the elect from under the curse of the law, that they might be holy, and without blame before him in love,

9th. We believe good works are the effects of faith and follow after justification; are evidences of a gracious state, and that it is the duty of all, believers to perform them, from a principle of love.

10th. We believe in the resurrection of the dead, and a general judgment, and that the happiness of the righteous and punishment of the wicked will be eternal.

PREAMBLE AND CONSTITUTION.

            We the Regular Predestinarian Baptist churches of Jesus Christ, having been regularly baptised upon a profession of our faith, are convinced of the necessity of a combination of churches; and of maintaining a correspondence, for the preserving a federal union among all the churches of the same faith and order. We therefore do agree to unite and form ourselves into an Association, upon the following principles: namely,

Article 1st. We do covenant and agree on equal rights and privileges, to live together in an associated capacity, as a medium of correspondence by which we may extend our union and fellowship to distant churches.

2nd. Those messengers chosen by the churches, shall compose the Association, and the messengers, so chosen shall produce letters from their respective churches, certifying their appointment, together with their number in fellowship, those baptised, received by letter, restored, dismissed, excommunicated, and dead, since the last Association. And the messengers thus chosen and convened, shall be denominated the Louisiana and Texas Regular Predestinarian Baptist Association.

3rd. No church in the Association shall be entitled to more than three messengers, whose names shall be enrolled.

4th. We do agree to meet together once a year, at such time and place as may be deemed expedient, for the purpose of keeping up and perpetuating said union.

5th. This Association when convened shall choose a Moderator to keep order, and a Clerk to record the proceedings and the same, who shall be chosen from among themselves.

6th. This Association shall, have the right to form rules of decorum for the order of the house while in session.. 

7th. This Association shall have the right to receive sister churches into her union, upon examination of their Articles of Faith and Constitution; and if found orthodox in faith, and orderly in practice, the Moderator shall manifest the same by giving the messengers the right hand of fellowship.

8th. We think it necessary to have an Association fund for defraying the expenses of the same, we therefore, deem it the duty of the churches in this union, to contribute such sums as they may think proper, and send by their messengers to the Association; and the moneys thus donated, shall be deposited in the hands of a Treasurer, who shall be responsible for the same, and shall pay it out according to the direction of the Association.

9th. The Minutes of the Association shall be read and corrected if necessary before the Association rises: and signed by the Moderator and Clerk.

10th. We having long viewed the corruption of the Baptist ministry, or those who wear the Baptist name, with the deepest interest and regret, who are going to and fro, through the country receiving and. baptizing on their own responsibility, without church authority, to the great distress of the churches: which practice we utterly abhor and detest, and do hereby declare non-fellowship with all such. And against all ministers who are going about the country constituting churches on their own responsibility.

11th. Having for years past viewed the distress that the following institutions, or societies, have brought upon the churches, that is to say, missionary effort, societies, Bible, Baptist State convention, temperance, Sunday school union, tract, ministerial education, and in a word, all the combinations and societies of the day, setup in order to advance the Redeemer’s kingdom; as inimical to the peace of Zion, calculated in .their nature to cause schism. We therefore declare non-fellowship with all such.

12th. This Constitution and Article of Faith may be altered or amended, by the unanimous concurrence of the Association.

LEVI A. DURHAM, Moderator.

Leroy G. McGaughey, Clerk.

Antioch church, Louisiana, Leroy G. McGaughey, Levi A. Durham,* Alfred Lyons, messengers. Salem, Wolf Creek, Texas, E. T. Fulgham, Edmond Parsons. Antioch, Texas, Jas. Richardson, Jer. Day, Benj. Richardson. Harmony, Texas, R. E. Powell, Thos. Baty. Mt. Olive, Texas, R. T. Gipson,* J. Whitmire. The stars represent ministers of the gospel.

—

Brethren, every where, I will just here make a few remarks in my weak way. The above declaration of non-fellowship has caused a mighty stir with the opposite party, who say they are Baptists and are not. The Articles of Faith of their Association, with some few exceptions, are the same as those here given; and yet if one dare contend for the faith therein contained, he is immediately charged with preaching a dangerous doctrine, and of being opposed to temperance, morality, the spread of knowledge, and all the civil institutions of the day. This we know is not so, and I think they do too; for we contend that all these things are implied in the church, and that it is unnecessary, after in the most solemn manner pledging ourselves to God, to, then in order to make that promise more binding, pledge ourselves to man, the inferior and equal with ourselves. God hates such religion and so do I. Ask them if they believe their Articles of Faith, and they will tell you, no.

            Now, brethren, I conceive that the signing of an Article of Faith implies a belief in the same, and if I were to do the like in unbelief, I know in what position I would stand before God and man. I could speak of many strange things that have taken place here since the above declaration; such as, forming churches out of excluded members, wilful misrepresentations, &c, by those who compass sea and land to make a proselyte. But I will desist as I am only laying myself liable to the criticism of these worldly-wise people, and conclude by subscribing myself you unworthy brother in tribulation. Pray for me. LEROY G. McGAUGHEY.

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[i] The Primitive Baptist, Volume 10, No. 1, Saturday, January 11, 1845, pp. 13-15.

[ii] Flowers and Fruits from the Wilderness, p. 190.

[iii] The Primitive Baptist, Volume 10, No. 11, June 14, 1845, pp. 163-167.

[iv] Perhaps the home of John Richardson, in whose home Antioch Church was organized in 1841.

Anything short of sin

Kairos Church in Winter Haven, Florida in their “Beliefs and Values” section of their website state, “We will do anything short of sin to engage those who have not-yet embraced Jesus Christ in our communities.”

I have no specific knowledge of this church – only that their “motto” was called to my attention. Such a motto is a bit “scary” to me, and makes me wonder just how far they would go. Further, when they use the phrase “do anything short of sin” they probably only have in mind moral sins such as lying, stealing and murdering. There are ecclesiastical sins and spiritual adultery, too, which they probably refuse to recognize. When we prefer our own wills and our own ways above the will and way of God, we have sinned.

Romans 14:23 “… for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

Hope maketh not ashamed

“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Romans 5:5

How the Scriptures speak of “a good hope through grace;” and call it “an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.” What a blessed grace must that be which thus enters into the very presence of Christ! How, too, the word of God speaks of it as the twin sister with faith and love (1 Cor. 13:13); and declares that it “maketh not ashamed,” because it springs out of the love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost!

Now we learn what “a good hope through grace” is, by being tossed up and down on the waves of despondency, and almost at times sinking into despair. Evidences so darkened, the heart so shut up, the mind so bewildered, sin so present, the Lord so absent, a nature so carnal, sensual, idolatrous, and adulterous—no wonder that amidst so many evils felt or feared, the soul should at times sink into despondency. But at such seasons the blessedness of “a good hope through grace” is found; and when this anchor is cast into and enters within the veil, taking hold of the blood and righteousness of the great High Priest, how strongly and securely it holds the ship, so that it shall not be utterly overwhelmed in the billows of despair!

Joseph Charles Philpot (1802-1869)

O little flock, fear not the foe

Attributed to Michael Altenburg and/or Jacobus Fabricius. Translated by Catherine Winkworth (1855). 
Meter: 8.8.6.8.8.6., or C. P. M. - Common Particular Meter

1. O little flock, fear not the foe
Who madly seeks your overthrow;
Dread not his rage and pow’r.
And though your courage sometimes faints,
His seeming triumph o,er God’s saints
Lasts but a little hour.

2. Be of good cheer; your cause belongs
To Him who can avenge your wrongs;
Leave it to Him, our Lord.
Though hidden yet from mortal eyes,
His Gideon shall for you arise,
Uphold you and His Word.

3. As true as God’s own Word is true,
Not earth nor hell’s satanic crew
Against us shall prevail.
Their might? A joke, a mere facade!
God is with us and we with God--
Our vict’ry cannot fail.

4. Amen, Lord Jesus, grant our prayer;
Great Captain, now Thine arm make bare,
Fight for us once again!
So shall Thy saints and martyrs raise
A mighty chorus to Thy praise
Forevermore, Amen.

A Theory of Everything, and other links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• A Theory of Everything (That Matters): A Brief Guide to Einstein, Relativity, and His Surprising Thoughts on God -- "McGrath, professor of science and religion at Oxford University, provides an excellent study of Einstein’s theories in relation to his beliefs about God."
• Adultery or Rape? What happened between David and Bathsheba? -- "Some of the opposing views of exegetes are caused by the imposition of today’s definition of rape upon the narrative of 2 Sam 11-12."
• Assumptions, Filters, and Eisegesis: A Study of David and Bathsheba -- "Social media currents today flow with a discussion over sexual assault, consent, and the story of David’s encounter with Bathsheba, as recorded in 2 Samuel 11."
• Botham Jean’s brother to Amber Guyger: “I forgive you” -- "The woman who killed Botham Jean was sentenced to ten years in prison earlier today. During his victim impact statement, Botham Jean’s brother Brandt stunned the courtroom."
• California becomes the first state to ban fur products -- "Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Friday that will make it illegal to sell, donate or manufacture new fur products in the state."
• Cold water to splash in Despair’s face over Apostasy -- "Apostates have no secret knowledge. Christianity is an open book. The Bible’s teachings are perspicuous."
• Doug Dillard — cartoonist who gave Baptists ‘Brother Blotz’ — dead at 90 -- "Dillard said in a 1988 interview with Baptist Press,. “People accept satire in cartoons that they would be up in arms about if you said it in print.”"
• Focus on Texas: Giving Back -- "Some say they’re just being neighborly, and some prefer to remain anonymous, but Texans really love to lend a helping hand."
• My son died from positional asphyxia in a car seat. Here's what parents need to know -- "The day care provider did not know of the risks involved when leaving a sleeping baby in a car seat..."
• Pastor, Aim to Preach Simple Sermons -- "Simple sermons aim to exalt Christ more than anything else."
• Presidential candidate promises draconian crackdown on religious liberty -- "Beto says in no uncertain terms that Christian churches should in fact lose their tax-exempt status unless they endorse gay marriage. This draconian assault on the first amendment is now the mainstream view within the Democratic party."
• Scientism -- "While science used to be a discipline of observation and testing, it has now become something altogether different. It has become Scientism."
• The Protection of Preference -- "...believers need to embrace the differences and “inequality” as part of God’s created order and redemptive purpose."
• The Saddest Story I’ve Read in a Good While: Kids See through Adults’ Blindness to Natural Law -- "Our son reported that his classmates, without any collective decision, had simply gone back to the old system, regardless of the new signage: Boys were using the former boys’ rooms, girls the former girls’ rooms."
• Was it Rape? The David and Bathsheba Pericope Re-examined -- "In view of the academic debate on whether David raped Bathsheba, this article takes a new approach to 2 Sam 11-12. "
• 278 – Oct. 05 – This Day in Baptist History Past -- "He was also one of those appointed by the Danbury Baptist Association to write a congratulatory letter to Thomas Jefferson which was answered with the famous “Wall of Separation” quote which we still here about today."

Mount Olive and Old Palestine

Marker Text for Old Palestine Baptist Church:

Organized 1844 by early preacher, Rev. Isaac Reed. First called Mount Olive, then Palestine. Worshipped in homes until 1854. Then small church (also used as school) was built on land donated by Capt. and Mrs. Henry Berryman. Third church now on site.

Old Palestine Baptist Church Texas Historical Marker (Number 6868, 1966), at the church meeting location on County Road 2610, Alto, Cherokee County, Texas

About a month ago, I found some information that was puzzling. Though the traditional information states that this church was organized in 1844 by Isaac Reed, I found a report from the church clerk in 1852 that stated the Palestine Church was organized in 1847. The report follows:

The Tennessee Baptist, Saturday, December 18, 1852, p. 1

I found the conflicting dates confusing, and searched for an answer. I have partially found it, though more information would be helpful. The partial answer is that Mount Olive and Palestine were originally two different churches in the same vicinity. Mount Olive was organized in 1844, and presented a letter of petition to the Sabine Baptist Association in October 1845.[i] Palestine was organized in 1847 and first appears in the roll of churches in 1847. Oral history says these churches originally met in homes. Perhaps migration from home to home brought them closer together. The letter of the Mount Olive Church to the 1849 Sabine Baptist Association states:

The Disolution of of the Palistine Church and the Union with the Mount Olive Church took place on the 4th Lords day in June A. D. 1849.[ii]

The letter also notes they received members “By union of Palistine Church – 16.”

Rather than Mount Olive simply changing its name to Palestine, the change began with the merger of the Palestine Church with the Mount Olive Church – originally under the name Mount Olive. If Z. N. Morrell’s information is correct concerning the organization of the Eastern Texas Association of United Baptists, the name had been changed from Mount Olive to Palestine at least by 1850.[iii] The Eastern Texas minutes of 1852 give the church name as Palestine.[iv]

I will hope to discover more in the future.

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[i] In 1845, Mount Olive is stated in the minutes as located at Douglass in Nacogdoches County, but in 1847 and onward as in Cherokee County. (The 1846 minutes are missing.)

[ii] “Of” is duplicated in the original.

[iii] Flowers and Fruits from the Wilderness, Z. N. Morrell, page 309

[iv] And the post office as Linwood, delegates Ben Selman, Jno. Cilgore, and Willis Selman. I have not seen the 1850 minutes, and not a table of churches from the 1851 minutes. “…during the Seventy Five Million Campaign, [the name] was changed to Old Palestine to distinguish it from the Anderson County Seat.” Tyler Morning Telegraph, Friday, January 16, 1970, p. 1

Z. Rose, Baptist preacher

The Tennessee Baptist, July 10, 1852, page 4

Often found in Texas records as Z. Rose, he only labored a few years in Texas. He is mentioned in the organization of several churches, and the minutes of the Sabine Baptist Association. He was probably a member of the Rocky Springs Church at Dialville in Cherokee County, considering he served as delegate from that church to the association in 1849.

Zachariah Rose was the son of Francis Rose and Elizabeth Ford. He was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina, July 2, 1809. Rose married Mrs. Sarah Burch (nee Cate) December 23, 1832, and they had nine children. November 13, 1841 the Ocoee Church in Polk County, Tennessee, ordained him to the ministry. According to Sketches of Tennessee’s Pioneer Baptist Preachers, Z. Rose only “labored three years in Texas, organizing and fostering new interests, and strengthening weak interests in Eastern Texas Association.”[1] He was in Texas by 1849, and back in Tennessee by the end of 1852. With Bowley Conner Walters, he organized the Antioch & Salem churches in Cherokee County, and the Ebenezer Church in Smith County, all of which joined the Sabine Baptist Association in 1849. Rose organized Friendship Church in Cherokee County, the third Saturday in December 1850, and was probably in the organization of the Eastern Texas Association of United Baptists. He was active in the Sweetwater Association in Tennessee, as well as instrumental in the organization of the Big Emory Association.[2] “He labored and prayed earnestly for harmony and cooperation among all true Baptists, ‘missionary, anti-missionary, so-called, and omissionary,’…”[3] He died September 30, 1886 and was buried at the Little Cemetery in White County, Tennessee.

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[1] Sketches of Tennessee’s Pioneer Baptist Preachers, Volume 1, James Jehu Burnett, Nashville, TN: Press of Marshall & Bruce Company, 1919, p. 432

[2] Ibid, p. 433

[3] Ibid, p. 433

Did David rape Bathsheba?

Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar molested Rachael Denhollander when she was a young gymnast.  According to her bio on her website, Rachael was “the first woman to file a police report and speak publicly against USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, one of the most prolific sexual abusers in recorded history. As a result of her activism, over 250 women came forward as survivors of Nassar’s abuse, leading to his life imprisonment.” She also used her victim impact testimony at Nassar’s trial to present the gospel. That background gave her the platform as an author and speaker. Denhollander recently spoke at “Caring Well” Conference by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. During that time, Denhollander sent out a “tweet” that has set the SBC astir. She tweeted, “David raped. It’s important we get that right.” It is important that we get that right, but she got it wrong. Rachael Denhollander should get all the credit she deserves for all the good she has done. That credit does not make a theologian whose word must be accepted just because she says so.

This idea that David raped Bathsheba is not new, but has gathered steam in the current climate of sexual ethics in our country. Paul Carter answered the question in the affirmative Did King David Rape Bathsheba?, on a Gospel Coalition posting in April 2018. Two years earlier, this position was posited by Hilary Lipka, an instructor in the Religious Studies Department at the University of New Mexico, in David and Bathsheba: Affair or Rape? In 2006 Adventist theologian Richard M. Davidson, in Did King David Rape Bathsheba? A Case Study in Narrative Theology, declared “that Bathsheba was a victim of ‘power rape’ on the part of David.”[i]  I am not sure how much earlier this idea was in vogue.

The event in brief is that the king stayed in the capital city while sending his soldiers to war. One evening David was walking upon his rooftop. From his vantage point, he saw a woman washing herself. David noted how beautiful she was and inquired concerning her. The woman was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Uriah was one of David’s mighty soldiers (2 Samuel 11:3).[ii] That should have ended the matter. However, even knowing the woman in question was married, David summoned her to the palace. They had sexual relations. The account can be read in 2 Samuel 11:1-5.

Did David rape Bathsheba? I suppose if we define rape in modern terms (as Davidson did with “power rape”) and apply that to the situation, we could answer in the affirmative. However, is that a biblical approach? Is it the right historical approach? Is it even an honest approach?

Just last week Denny Burk called attention to a theological article written by Alexander Abasili, titled Was it Rape? The David and Bathsheba Pericope Re-examined.[iii] Rather than apply our modern standards to the situation, Abasili interprets the text in light of the Mosaic biblical definition of rape – an approach that is not unknown to other Bible students and certainly proper one – but often overlooked in the desire to defend a modern conclusion. The passage that expounds the Old Testament legal definition of rape is Deuteronomy 22:23-27. Abasili explains it this way:

In the Hebrew bible, however, the concept of rape, without excluding psychological or social or political or emotional domination, of necessity includes the use of physical force/violence in compelling a woman to nonconsensual sexual intercourse.

For the interpretation of the text, it does not matter what are the 21st century standards of rape. By God’s standards under the law, which law David was under, the act was not rape. His sin was heinous, and resulted in sure, swift, and ongoing punishment. Nevertheless, when speaking of biblical events we should speak in biblical terms and not invoke presentism as the deciding factor.

In addition to the law of Deuteronomy 22:23-27, the Old Testament contains a number of places where rape is described or implied.[iv] The writers were not afraid to tell us in those cases, but did not tell us such in David’s case. There is no physical act of force described in the text. The language used does not express or imply it. To interpret the act as rape, in light of the story given by Nathan the prophet, in the end actually minimizes rape (Cf. 2 Samuel 12:1-10).[v] Further, while the bulk of the sin, responsibility, and even punishment fell on David, the death of their child punishes Bathsheba as well (2 Samuel 12:15-22).[vi]

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[i] Davidson defines “power rape” as an event “in which a person in a position of authority abuses that ‘power’ to victimize a subservient and vulnerable person sexually, whether or not the victim appears to give ‘consent’.”

[ii] She was also the daughter of another soldier, and granddaughter of David’s counselor, Ahithophel; cf. 2 Samuel 11:3 and 2 Samuel 23:34.

[iii] Vetus Testamentum 61, no. 1 (2011): 1–15.

[iv] For examples, Genesis 34:2, Judges 20:5, 2 Samuel 13:14, Isaiah 13:16.

[v] For example, “thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife” rather than “thou hast killed Uriah and raped his wife.”

[vi] While Bathsheba was wrong in not rejecting the David’s suit, David was the initiator and bears the greater responsibility. Bathsheba the seductress who set out to snare David must be imported into the reading. The text does not even say Bathsheba was naked. The word used – “wash” (Heb. rachats, v. 2) – is the same word used of Uriah washing his feet (11:8). A man certainly does not have to see a woman’s naked body to think she is beautiful (v. 2). In context, Bathsheba washed according to the law for purification (11:4), which was done in the evening.

Fur out, bro

While chewing on a pork chop, state assembly member Laura Friedman tweeted, “Today CA made history - # AB44 was signed into law! After decades of efforts from animal welfare advocates, we are now the first state in the nation to ban fur. CA has no place for the inhumane & unsustainable treatment of animals. Now for other states to follow in our legacy.”

OK, I made up part of that. She may be a vegan for all I know. Nevertheless, the passage of the law is not made up, neither is the hypocrisy imagined. It is fact that California became the first state to ban fur products when “Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Friday that will make it illegal to sell, donate or manufacture new fur products in the state.”

This bill would make it unlawful to sell, offer for sale, display for sale, trade, or otherwise distribute for monetary or nonmonetary consideration a fur product, as defined, in the state. The bill would also make it unlawful to manufacture a fur product in the state for sale. The bill would exempt from these prohibitions used fur products, as defined, fur products used for specified purposes, and any activity expressly authorized by federal law.

The bill would make these provisions operative on January 1, 2023.

Now the compassionate legislators of the far left state have a law that protects the mink, chinchilla, rabbits, and so on. “The bill…applies to all new clothing, handbags, shoes and other items made with fur. Those who violate the law would be subject to civil penalties.” However, the poor cow, pig and sheep received no compassion – leather, cowhide and shearling being exempt from the ban. “Fur products used for religious purposes or by Native American tribes” – which likely are equivalent in the religious realm – are also exempt. And I’m sure some of the compassionate voters will still be eating their rib eyes, hams, and lamb chops.

PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – and Direct Action Everywhere are working to change the world for animals everywhere. PETA says they “worked with compassionate legislators to push these lifesaving laws forward and looks to other states to follow California’s progressive lead.”

Maybe we need PETA to go to work on abortion. While California’s abortion laws are not as liberal as one might expect, in that state women have the “fundamental right” to choose between giving birth and having an abortion, with certain restrictions. How about compassionate legislators creating more lifesaving laws for the human babies? PETA? Laura? Gavin?

With Jesus we might ask today, “How much then is a baby better than a fur-bearing mammal?” (Cf. Matthew 12:10-12.)

Columbus Day

As Columbus Day winds toward a close, for your reading pleasure:
The Left Hates Christopher Columbus. Here are Five Reasons Why We Should Still Celebrate Columbus Day

According to a recent poll, 79% of college students support such a change. And the D.C. City Council recently approved a measure to abolish Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous People’s Day. Ironically, the District of Columbia is named after, you guessed it, Christopher Columbus. The Left’s hatred of Columbus is predicated on the idea that he represents the tyrannical, western force that colonized the Americas at the expense of those already living here...

Jarrett Stepman also writes in his book The War on History, “What is never explained is why so-called indigenous peoples are worthy of celebration if Columbus is not. Pre-Columbian civilizations from Mexico to Peru were nearly all responsible for brutal violence on a large scale long before Columbus arrived on the shores of the New World – including human sacrifices, even of children, sometimes by tearing out the victim’s still-beating heart.”

Let us be obnoxious

If it be intolerance to cleave to the truth of God, then let us be intolerant. If it be bigotry to maintain that there is no development of Divine truth, but that all is complete in Holy Scripture (whether understood or not), then let us be bigots. If it be narrow-minded prejudice to deny that modern advance in science has superseded one point of Christian verity, then let us be obnoxious to these and even worse charges, rather than surrender the truth of God, rather than overlook that the true place of Christian love is to work by truth, and by upholding the plenary authority and inspiration of the Word of God.

Samuel P. Tregelles, from Defence of the Authenticity of the Book of Daniel

A seven year old’s poem

Young Isaac Watts, long before he was “the father of English hymnody,” at age seven wrote an acrostic poem that spelled out the letters of his name. It is as follows:

“I” - I am a vile, polluted lump of earth
“S” - So I’ve continued ever since my birth
“A” - Although Jehovah, grace doth daily give me
“A” - As sure this monster, Satan, will deceive me
“C” - Come therefore, Lord, from Satan’s claws relieve me.

“W” - Wash me in Thy blood, O Christ
“A” - And grace divine impart
“T” - Then search and try the corners of my heart
“T” - That I in all things may be fit to do
“S” - Service to Thee, and Thy praise too.

Grace Defined, and other reviews

The posting of book reviews does not constitute endorsement of the books or book reviews that are linked.

• Book Review: Grace Defined and Defended -- "While I admit that I came into the book with somewhat different expectations, I was helped greatly by this “brief, accessible commentary.”"
• Book Review: To the Ends of the Earth, by Michael Haykin and C. Jeffrey Robinson Sr. -- "...historians and theologians regularly claim that John Calvin and his theological heirs were essentially anti-evangelistic and you have a recipe for a tradition in need of a makeover."
• Book Review: Unbelievable by Michael Newton Keas -- "Unbelievable is a must-have volume for anyone interested in the relationship between science and faith. Keas is effective in outlining the major myths in a manner that is appropriate for all readers."

Any fool can make history, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources. (I try to confirm the sources that I give, but may miss on occasion; please verify when possible.)

"Any fool can make history, but it takes a genius to write it." -- Oscar Wilde

"When the world has gone insane, then sane will be considered crazy." -- Those considered crazy

"If you don’t tell the truth in love, it’s not the whole truth." -- Heard

"No matter how thin you slice it, baloney is still baloney." -- Alfred E. Smith, and others

"God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good." -- Heard

"Knowledge comes by looking around, wisdom comes by looking up; Knowledge comes by study; wisdom comes by meditation with God." -- Adrian Rogers

"When you’re hanging on by a thread, be sure it’s the hem of his garment." -- Heard

"The devil can’t make you sin. It’s an inside job." -- Heard

David Lewis: Indian Missionary and Sabine Divisionary

David Lewis: Indian Missionary and Sabine Divisionary

Another pastor of Union Baptist Church, in addition to Elder James L. Bryant (of whom I wrote last Thursday) is David Lewis. Like Bryant, we know little of Lewis, when he was born, when he died, or where he is buried. Unlike Bryant, Lewis steps into a 20-something year window of time, appearing in 1832 and disappearing around 1853. Perhaps more will be discovered later.

The first record I find of David Lewis is his ordination, which occurred in May of 1832. The place of ordination was the McDougal Street Meeting-house in New York.[i]

Ordination of Mr. Lewis

“On Monday evening, May 17th, in the McDougal Street Meeting-house, New York, Mr. David Lewis was set apart to the work of the gospel ministry with special reference to missionary labor among the Indians. The exercises of the evening were unusually solemn and interesting, the congregation large and attentive, and an anxiety awakened for the heathen in the bosoms of many persons who had previously felt little interest in the cause of Missions.

“He is expected to settle among the Choctaws west of the Mississippi, in the employ of the Baptist General Convention, and with his wife and child left New York for the place of destination, May 25th. They will be followed, we trust, by the prayers of christians, that the Lord will make them a great blessing to the aborigines of our country.”[ii]

From information I have been able to gather, the pastor serving at the McDougal Street Church at the time of David Lewis’s ordination was Duncan Dunbar. We know little specifically of Lewis’s theology – beyond a full embrace of the missionary society methods and his views on communion found in the 1845 Sabine Association circular letter. Certainly, David Lewis must have embraced the main tenets common among Baptists. It is possible that Dunbar’s influence stamped Lewis’s theology. While we know little of Lewis’s views, Duncan Dunbar’s faith and practice is easily ascertained in Duncan Dunbar: the Record of an Earnest Ministry. A Sketch of the Life of the Late pastor of the McDougal St. Baptist Church, New York.[iii] The story paints Dunbar firmly in the hard predestinarian camp:

He loved to dwell upon the doctrines of grace...The moral depravity and helplessness of man, and his supreme dependence upon the sovereign grace of God; the eternal election of a peculiar people, who had been given to the Son to be redeemed by his blood and justified by his righteousness, as their covenant-head, the second Adam; the special and irresistible influences of the Holy Spirit in the enlightenment and regeneration of the predestined heirs of glory.[iv]

He was a practical believer in predestination, referring all current events, and all that have come to pass since the foundation of the world, to the eternal purpose of Him who ‘worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will.’[v]

Despite his firm views on eternal election and predestination, he was on the other hand a zealous advocate of the society method of mission work. He was a strong proponent of the American Baptist Missionary Union, as well as a friend and missionary to the Indians.

From the first time that he saw the red men, he never lost his interest in them. From the Mic Macs of New Brunswick and the Penobscots of Maine he labored personally; and, in after years, interested himself greatly for the Cherokees and other tribes under the patronage of our Missionary Union. The name, Indian, was a passport to his heart, and the sorrows and oppressions of this people were to him a source of real grief and anxiety; for he believed that, with regard to them, as well as to the negro, God would call us to account.[vi]

He was an active and liberal supporter of Foreign Missions, and deeply interested in the work of the Missionary Union. His anti-slavery spirit had been sorely tried, during the days of the Triennial Convention, by the union of Northern and Southern churches, but he hoped the day of separation would come; and none rejoiced more than he in the triumph of principle over policy, in the formation of the American Baptist Missionary Union, — a free organization for the spread of a free gospel.[vii]

In connection with this, Dunbar is described as a strong advocate of the support of the ministry,[viii] and a great friend and promoter of young ministers.

Mr. Dunbar felt a special interest in young ministers; and while they shared, as many of them did, his unstinted hospitality, he spread before them richer dainties of free, sovereign, distinguishing grace, the conversation often extending into the night.[ix]

He fed his people on the word of God, and many strong men and gifted women were the fruit of his ministry. The church might well have been called a nursery for Christian workers, as many able teachers and preachers were raised up there.[x]

These factors make Dunbar a likely candidate of influence on David Lewis. We know they agreed on the issues of the missionary society and missions to the Indians. Our first introduction to Lewis is in 1832 American Baptist Magazine, which reports his ordination and plans to work “among the Choctaws west of the Mississippi.” That he had a wife and one child implies he was a younger man, though at this point there is no evidence of his age at the time of his ordination.

David Lewis and family settled in Indian Territory by September 1832, where he and his wife made history as charter members of the first Baptist church organized in what is now the state of Oklahoma.

“The first Baptist church, in what is now Oklahoma, was organized September 9, 1832. Rev. Isaac McCoy, pioneer missionary to the Indians, was present and assisted in the organization. The constituent members were, Rev. David Lewis and wife, missionaries, John Davis, Creek Indian, and Quash, Rob, and Ned, negro slaves of the Creek Indians.”[xi]

Lewis’s tenure as an Indian missionary with the American Baptist Missionary Union was cut short by the death of his wife in the fall of 1833.[xii] Shortly thereafter, he left the field.

“Mr. Lewis, in consequence of the death of his wife, and his own ill health, removed from this station, during the last year. Mr. Davis continued to preach at several different places; and a number of persons were baptized before Mr. Lewis left the station. The church consisted, at the last dates, of about 80.”

While Lewis’s wife died and he did leave the mission, that story is the polite version – and probably one that protected the board from confessing their own mismanagement. Solomon Peck further explains “In the spring of 1834, Mr. Lewis, for misconduct was dismissed from service of the board.”[xiii] Isaac McCoy recounts some of Mr. Lewis’s indiscretions. We shall spread a cloak of charity over the details (which all are free to research), giving enough to disclose some things that could have become problematic if known in Texas later. Practically, McCoy discloses that Lewis “had been exceedingly imprudent in his secular affairs, and had gone in debt beyond his means of paying. He had spent money unnecessarily, and drawn on the board for funds without authority, to pay debts foolishly created.”[xiv] Theologically, McCoy exhorted “Mr. Lewis and Mr. Davis not to admit to fellowship in the Baptist church any who could not give satisfactory evidence of their conversion to God...Notwithstanding all which, I had too much reason to fear that Mr. Lewis indulged this awful error.”[xv]

“Bro. Lewis has left the mission, and removed to Crawford Co., as, doubtless, you will have heard ere this.[xvi]

Several states possess a Crawford County. We might presume that David Lewis went to Crawford County, Arkansas, since it is the closest Crawford County to the Ebenezer Station where he lived in Indian Territory.[xvii] Further, Isaac McCoy wrote “He left the missionary station, and spent some time in the white settlements in the State of Arkansas…”[xviii]

Just when David Lewis arrived in Texas is hard to know. After leaving the Indian mission, McCoy traces some of his movements – Arkansas, Cincinnati, Ohio, and New Orleans, Louisiana. An Elder David Lewis was in the organization of the Baptist Church at Huntington, Indiana, “May 1841, and Elder Lewis was installed as the first preacher…” By November of that year this Elder Lewis had resigned as pastor.[xix] There is not enough information currently available to know whether this is our David Lewis or another. However, the available information could fit into the known timeline.[xx]

Lewis is not mentioned in the organizational minutes of the Sabine Baptist Association in 1843. He is present in 1844 at the meeting at Border Church. He preached on Sunday,[xxi] and was appointed one of the delegates to visit the United Western Baptist Association. He was appointed to write a circular letter for the next associational meeting (1845), as well as to preach the introductory sermon.

In 1845, the circular letter commends and defends restricted communion. Since he was chosen to prepare the letter, the assumption is that the 1845 circular letter is by David Lewis. His introductory sermon came from Psalm 133:1 – Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! He was also appointed to serve on the committee of arrangement.

There are no extant copies of the 1846 Sabine Association minutes. By the time the 1847 session rolled around, David Lewis and his brethren no longer dwelt together in unity! His only mention that year was his highly negative role as the catalyst for a split in the Sabine Association. “The charge of the Union Church, against the Border Church—charged with unchristian like conduct, for receiving David Lewis, an Excommunicated Member from the Mount Zion Church—on charges against him from the Union Church, into full fellowship, when they knew he, the said ‘Lewis,’ was an Excommunicated Member. The case being called up, the Border, the Massidonia, and the Eight Mile Churches, withdrew from the Association, and thereby declared a non fellowship.”[xxii]

Ostensibly, the split in the Sabine Association was over missions. At least that is the way the missionary society partisans tell it. It is likely that this was somewhere in the background. However, the immediate cause of the withdrawal of three churches was the disciplinary action against David Lewis by the Mount Zion Church of which he was a member – on a charge brought against him by the Union Church. Border Church in Harrison County, in violation of common Baptist order, received this excluded member and pulled the hinge pin on fellowship in the Association. Not only did the Border Church receive an excluded member, they called him as their pastor![xxiii]

The action can be traced through the Union Church minutes, though the record still leaves questions as to the exact nature of the difficulty. In December of 1844, the Union Church elected David Lewis to the pastoral care of the church. His service began Saturday before the first Lord’s day in January 1845. He served through the year, when he was once again called to the service of the church in December 1845. Nevertheless, his name does not appear in the minutes after the February 1846 conference. In May 1846, the church appointed a committee to see Lewis “to know the cause why he absents himself from us and fails to attend.” After the committee made a report in June “bro. Lewis was dismissed from the care of the church.”[xxiv]

A skirmish between Lewis and the church continued. Beyond his absenting himself from attending the church as pastor, the minutes give no further clue as to church’s “certain grievances” with Lewis.[xxv] In addition to dissatisfaction with David Lewis, Union Church was dissatisfied with the actions of the Border Church, and apparently communicated that to her.[xxvi] At Union Church on July 3, 1847, “Reference cald for it was moved that the letter from the Border Church be red which was don accordingly. A motion was made to put to the church whether or not is the Union Church hurt with the Border Church in her act for taking David Lewis to the pastoral care of the Border Church knowing he was in a state of exclusion which was declared on the afternoon. A motion was then made to send delegates to the Border Church to let them know their grievences where upon Brothers William Gill, S. F. Sparks, and James Simmons were appointed.”[xxvii] On September 4, 1847, Union Church “Appointed Brothers B. F. Whitaker, S. F. Sparks & A. Caddel, W. S. Gill in case of failure of the others as delegates to the association to convene with Enon Church on Friday before the first Lords day in October next.” Then on October 2, 1847, “An answer from the Border Church was red and the church not Satisfied Resolved that the Union Church communicate her grievance to the association.”[xxviii]

As seen above, the association took the grievance seriously. In January 1848, Union Church called Elder Isaac Reed to the pastoral care of the church. Reed was a leading preacher, who favored evangelistic efforts, but opposed missionary societies. Though Border Church and two other churches siding with it withdrew and formed a new association, the Lewis/Border matter received some attention in the Union Church conferences into 1848. That summer the Border Church sent some type of correspondence to the Union Church, which was not well received by Union. The June 3, 1848 conference minutes state, “A letter presented from the Border Church which was Red and Rejected. A copy of Said letter to be Retained and the original sent Back.”[xxix]

A few sources relate some of David Lewis’s religious work after the split in the Sabine Association. Lewis was one of the ministers involved in forming the Eastern Missionary Baptist Church, which met at Border Church in Harrison County, December 1847, and one of three present at the 1848 association.[xxx] This association was set up in contradiction of and opposition to the Sabine Association. Lewis was chosen to preach the introductory sermon at the 1848 meeting.[xxxi] Lewis organized Enon Church in Upshur County in 1848.[xxxii] Later he worked for a time with Z. N. Morrell at Leona in Leon County, or at least passed through that area.[xxxiii] J. W. D. Creath, in late summer 1850, connects Lewis to a San Pedro Church – probably somewhere in Houston County, where the San Pedro Creek rises and flows into the Neches River.[xxxiv] He was the first pastor of Rocky Spring Church, in Walker County.[xxxv] With elders Baines, Garrett, and Creath, Lewis organized a church in Walker County on March 5, 1854, eight miles from Huntsville.[xxxvi]

According to J. B. Link’s records in the Historical and Biographical Magazine, David Lewis served as a missionary for the Baptist State Convention of Texas, at least from 1850 through 1852. “Rev. David Lewis, in October, 1850 was appointed missionary for the counties of Houston and Anderson. He traveled 645 miles, preached 162 sermons, delivered 7 lectures, organized one church, baptized 5 persons, ordained one deacon, visited 97 families, conferences 14, attended 16 prayer meetings, delivered 7 Sunday-school addresses.” In 1852, he had “aided in constituting two churches” and was continued as a missionary at a salary of $100.[xxxvii]

The Tennessee Baptist describes “Rev. D. Lewis” as “an authorized agent for the ‘Tennessee Baptist’ in the counties of Leon, Walker, and Houston, Texas.”[xxxviii] Later the paper tells us “Rev. David Lewis has removed from Mitchell’s, Walker county, to Huntsville, Texas. Correspondents will please note the change. Bro. Lewis is an authorized agent for the Tennessee Baptist.”[xxxix]

June 23, 1853, Rev. David Lewis affixed his name to a council of ministers’ judgments on the fashionable amusements of the day. Obviously, he was still living at that time. [xl] Subsequent to that, I have found no contemporary accounts of the life and ministry of David Lewis.

The ministry of David Lewis of New York, Indian Territory, and Texas is fraught with difficulty. Though exposed for problems as a missionary to the Muscogee Indians, Lewis went on to minister some ten or so years without Texas Baptist historians uncovering his foibles. None (of whom I am aware) lay the division of the Sabine Association at the feet of David Lewis, though the primary documents focus on him as a major cause behind it. Possibly all historians who have propounded on the split have been pro-missionary-society members of the Southern Baptist Convention. The supporters of this system have submitted the Sabine story as a prop for their purpose of promoting their program and practice. In this version of the story, Isaac Reed becomes the foil – the whipping boy of the “Missionary Baptists” – even though he apparently held a general atonement and was “full of the mission spirit.”[xli] Reed cooperated with his missionary Baptist friend Lemuel Herrin in organizing several churches in East Texas, as well as organizing several more in which Herrin was not involved.[xlii] Reed’s crime? He “was opposed to boards and missionary societies.”

The first telling of the story apparently comes from the splitters themselves, the 1847 minutes of the Eastern Missionary Baptist Association. The record to which I have access does not help a lot. Nevertheless it says, “That it is due to our brethren of the Sabine Baptist Association, to the community at large, and to ourselves, that this Association should state frankly to the world the reasons which induced us to separate from the Sabine Baptist Association, and to organize the Eastern Missionary Baptist Association, viz.: That the Sabine Baptist Association, at its last meeting, refused to sanction the doctrines of the annexed circular, and declared a non-concurrence with its principles.” Z. N. Morrell interprets the circular letter as, and essay that was “in spirit and letter a missionary document.”[xliii]

Next comes Southern Baptist missionary Z. N. Morrell. Morrell was contemporary with Reed and Lewis, and weaves a lively document concerning early Baptist ministry in Texas in his book Flowers and Fruits from the Wilderness. (Everyone interested in Texas Baptist history should read it. More than once!) Morrell knew Reed in Tennessee, but apparently never worked with him in Texas. On the other hand, Lewis spent time with Morrell in Leon County, unveiling his own version of the events. “From him I learned much concerning the troubles that hung around the infant association. The enemies of the mission cause pressed them sorely on every hand…”[xliv] Morrell tells us that “Reed, and those who acted with him, violently opposed all mission organizations,” and lays the division on this.[xlv] He mentions nothing of the disciplinary action against David Lewis.

In 1923, J. M. Carroll called Isaac Reed “mightily mixed, or a decided Omissionary.” J. B. Link (without documentation, of course) throws Reed completely under the bus, wheels a-rolling full speed ahead. According to him, Reed’s “opposition to all benevolent organizations for mission purposes at length created a division in the association.”[xlvi]

Believe what you will about missions, mission boards, and missionary societies. However, let us fairly interpret the available evidence concerning the Sabine Baptist Association. Let David Lewis take his place among the divisionaries. He had problems in Indian Territory. In all likelihood, at least some of those problems traveled with him to Texas. Students will not know the role of Lewis unless they read the primary documents in surviving records in the minutes of the Union Baptist Church and the Sabine Baptist Association.[xlvii]

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[i] From my understanding, this McDougal Street Meeting-house was in Manhattan. The church at that time was apparently named North Beriah Baptist Church. In 1859, the church assumed the name McDougal Street Baptist Church. Reminiscences of Baptist churches and Baptist leaders in New York city and Vicinity, from 1835-1898, p. 35 (George H. Hansell, Philadelphia, PA: American Baptist Publication Society, 1899).

[ii] The American Baptist Magazine. Vol. XII, Board of Managers of the Baptist General Convention, Boston, MA: Putnam & Damrell, 1832, p. 185.

[iii] Jeremiah Chaplin, Third Edition, New York, NY: Sheldon and Company, 1868.

[iv] Ibid, p. 188.

[v] Ibid, p. 190.

[vi] Ibid, p. 204.

[vii] Ibid, pp. 201-202.

[viii] Ibid, favored a salaried ministry, pp. 112, 195-197.

[ix] Ibid, p. 197.

[x] Reminiscences of Baptist churches and Baptist leaders in New York city and Vicinity, from 1835-1898, George H. Hansell, Philadelphia, PA: American Baptist Publication Society, 1899, p. 35.

[xi] “Oklahoma Baptists Making History,” I. W. Marks, The Word and Way (Kansas City, Missouri) Thursday, May 16, 1912, p. 4.

[xii] The American Baptist Magazine, Vol. XV (Boston: John Putman, 1835, pp. 35, 217).

[xiii] Peck, “History of the Missions of the Baptist General Convention,” in History of American Missions to the Heathen, from Their Commencement to the Present Time, (Joseph Tracy, et al., Worcester: Spooner & Howland, 1840, p. 548).

[xiv] History of Baptist Indian Missions, by Isaac McCoy, (New York, NY: H. and S. Raynor, 1840, p. 484).

[xv] Ibid, p. 453.

[xvi] Ibid, pp. 226-227.

[xvii] Crawford County, Arkansas was formed on October 18, 1820. Arkansas was still a territory at that time.

[xviii] History of Baptist Indian Missions, Isaac McCoy, p. 484.

[xix] History of Huntington County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its People, and Its Principal Interests, Vol. I, (Frank Sumner Bash, editor, Chicago, IL: Lewis Publishing Company, 1914, p. 327).

[xx] Through a letter by William Tryon to The Biblical Recorder, the Elder David Lewis in Texas, who had started a church in San Augustine, is identified as “formerly a missionary among the Indians.” “Progress in Texas,” The Biblical Recorder, Saturday, March 15, 1845, p. 2.

[xxi] From 2 Timothy 2:8.

[xxii] Minutes of the Sabine Baptist Association, October 1847, Held at Enon Church, Rusk County.

[xxiii] First Book of Church Minutes, 1838-1872, Old North Baptist Church, n. d., n. p., p. 25.

[xxiv] Ibid, p. 23.

[xxv] Ibid, p. 23.

[xxvi] One would assume Mount Zion Church was also dissatisfied with the act of Border Church receiving her excluded member, but we have no records to consider.

[xxvii] First Book of Church Minutes, p. 25.

[xxviii] Ibid, p. 26.

[xxix] Ibid, p. 28.

[xxx] Flowers and Fruits from the Wilderness, Z. N. Morrell, pp. 262, 266. At least we assume that Lewis was present in 1847. Morrell implies that but does not clearly say so. Three ministers present in 1848 were Herrin, Lewis, and J. M. Perry.

[xxxi] Ibid, p. 263.

[xxxii] Ibid, p. 267.

[xxxiii] Ibid, p. 264. This is probably circa 1848-1850.

[xxxiv] Letter from J. W. D. Creath to Brother Chambliss, September 25, 1850, in the South Western Baptist (Marion, Alabama), Wednesday, November 6, 1850, p. 2.

[xxxv] Minutes of the Eighteenth Annual Session of the Union Baptist Association, Held at Bethany Church, Grimes County, October 2-5, 1857, p. 14.

[xxxvi] Letter from J. W. D. Creath to the Tennessee Baptist, March 21, 1854, The Tennessee Baptist (Nashville, Tennessee) April 8, 1854, Saturday, page 3. This is probably the Ebenezer Church. The Union Association minutes lists “Daniel Lewis” as one of the organizers of Ebenezer, but this is probably David Lewis. I have not found a Daniel Lewis working in this area at this time, but David Lewis was. Minutes of the Eighteenth Annual Session of the Union Baptist Association, Held at Bethany Church, Grimes County, October 2-5, 1857, p. 14. “Daniel Lewis” is also listed as first pastor of Madisonville Church, Madison County, Texas.

[xxxvii] Historical and Biographical Magazine, Volumes, 1 and 2, The Baptist Standard Bearer, Inc., Version 1.0, 2005 (electronic data, no pagination).

[xxxviii] The Tennessee Baptist, Saturday, September 13, 1851, p. 3

[xxxix] The Tennessee Baptist, Saturday, February 7, 1852, p. 2.

[xl] South Western Baptist, Friday, July 15, 1853, p. 2.

[xli] Even my friend, mentor, and “not-a-Southern-Baptist” Isaac Reed descendant was carried away with the dissimulation, writing “[Lemuel] Herrin was decidedly promissionary, in contrast with the less missionary minded [Isaac] Reed.” Missionary Baptists in Texas 1820-1998, Oran H. Griffith, Henderson, TX: History & Archives Committee of the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas, 1999, p. 12.

[xlii] By my count at least seven, probably more – Union, Buena Vista, Bethel, Border, Mount Olive, Eight-Mile, and Macedonia. Reed likely was involved in the constitution of several other churches that joined the Sabine Association from 1844-1849, and probably organized churches in Tennessee and Alabama before coming to Texas. He participated in the constitution of at least three associations – Duck River in Tennessee, Mud Creek in Alabama, and Sabine in Texas (perhaps also Elk River in Tennessee, and maybe Mount Moriah).

[xliii] Flowers and Fruits, p. 262-263

[xliv] Ibid, p. 264.

[xlv] Ibid, p. 262.

[xlvi] A History of Texas Baptists, J. M. Carroll, Dallas, TX: Baptist Standard Publishing Company, 1923, p. 115; Historical and Biographical Magazine, Volumes, 1 and 2, The Baptist Standard Bearer, Inc., Version 1.0, 2005.

[xlvii] So far as I know, the only historian who references David Lewis’s exclusion is A. J. Holt in A Brief History of Union Baptist Church (Old North Church). He misunderstands, however, writing that Lewis “was cited to the church for trial and he sent a defiant reply and was excluded for contempt of the church.” Lewis was excluded from Mount Zion Church rather than Union Church (though Union Church brought charges against him). Neither does Holt put this in context of the problems in Sabine Baptist Association.